HOUSTON, TX (March 18, 2013) – Holocaust Museum Houston will sponsor a citywide commemoration of Yom HaShoah on Sunday, April 7, 2013 in remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died during the Nazi atrocities of the Holocaust during World War II.

Yom HaShoah is an internationally recognized and respected event of solemn commemoration and will be observed in Houston beginning at 3 p.m. at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N. Braeswood Blvd. The service is free and open to the public.

The Yom HaShoah service is coordinated by the Yom HaShoah Steering Committee and Holocaust Museum Houston. This year’s event is co-chaired by Sandy Lessig and Tobi Cooper, with underwriting provided by the Morgan Family Endowment Fund and other community sponsors, with special thanks to United Airlines, official airline of Holocaust Museum Houston.

Speakers this year will include Ambassador Meir Shlomo, the Consul General of Israel in Houston; Tali H. Blumrosen, chair of Holocaust Museum Houston; and Holocaust survivor Riki Roussos.

Hazzan David Propis of Congregation Beth Yeshurun, Cantor Lance Rhodes of Congregation Brith Shalom, Cantor Daniel Mutlu of Congregation Beth Israel, Cantor Renee Waghalter, Cantorial Soloist Jane Wyman and Cantor Diane Dorf will provide music for the ceremony, along with the Brith Shalom Young Students, the Houston Chapter of HaZamir, Shirim Team of Congregation Beth Israel, the Shlenker Star Singers and The Beth Yeshurun Choir.

Holocaust survivors from the Houston area will participate in a commemorative candle-lighting ceremony, and David Hassid, D.M.D; Jared Pickett of the Miriam Browning Learning Center of Congregation Beth Israel; and Yossi Hoffman of the Robert M. Beren Academy will provide readings as members of the Third Generation.

Yom HaShoah corresponds annually to the historical beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. In 1951, the Israeli Knesset formally established the date as the 27th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. On the solar calendar, that date falls between late April and early May. Yom HaShoah is recognized around the world as a time to remember the victims of the Holocaust, many of whose date and place of death is still unknown.

Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, the Museum teaches the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.

Holocaust Museum Houston is free and open to the public and is located in Houston’s Museum District at 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004.

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Holocaust Museum Houston is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums.

The Laurie and Milton Boniuk Resource Center and Library is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Library is closed Sundays.

The Museum is closed for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For other holiday hours, visit the "Events" tab on the Museum’s Web site at www.hmh.org.